Erin MacCord is the Marketing Vendor Liaison for Williams Trading Co. Williams is currently celebrating their 40th Anniversary in selling adult novelties (they currently carr 20,000 different items!) One of their latest offerings is a wonderful little bullet vibe called Lal Hardy Rocks-Off Erotic Ink Passion Bullet (Lal being a huge figure on the international tattoo scene). I spoke with Erin about this new cool vibe designs with names like Fantasy of Flight, Pleasure Me panther, Heartsn’ Roses, If You love My, Wings of Desire and Deadly Passion as well as the business of adult toys in general.

These passion bullet vibes, with our without cool tattoo packing, seem to be a very popular adult toy item indeed !

You’ve heard a chef say…”you first eat your meal with your eyes”? The same school of thought applies here. From packaging, function, design and material….all of these features add to the pleasure- experience from purchase to use. Today’s buyer is smarter and more sophisticated and I think the Rocks-Off Passion Bullet Vibe really captures the whole adult toy experience.

Do you find then, when you present an adult product with a decidedly ‘other’ angle to it-a tattoo vibe for instance-other avenues for selling open up to you ?

Absolutely there are more venues for adult toy sales today. Think about it…Adult toys aren’t going mainstream, they already are. What was once an undercurrent in our society is now considered “optional.” This is a fabulous change in consumer behavior for us because now we can, for example, display the famed tattoo artist Lal Hardy’s collection of vibes in a tattoo shop and no one would get offended. Quite the opposite happens-the Lal Hardy collection validates the individuality and beauty of people who choose ink.

Do you see, or have you seen recently a specific hot trend in adult toys ?

If I could describe the hottest trends in one word I’d say “technology.” Today’s smartphone and micro technologies are being incorporated into adult toy manufacturing and the functions coming into the marketplace are mind blowing.

Not that you have been with the company for 4 decades-and being in business forty years is certainly to be applauded-but what would you say is the biggest change in adult product retailing over the years: the actual materials toys are made from being safer now or the actual way they are sold almost exclusively online in this day and age…or both ?

An industry-defining moment for the adult toy industry hands-down was the invention of the Internet. When products became available online, sales exploded. Online sales continue to grow each year. An online purchase is private and discreet which opened up the adult toy industry to the customer too shy to shop in a traditional adult store. Whether a product is bought online, at a home party or in a retail store, safety and hygiene and price are the three biggest considerations before the product is purchased. Medical and food-grade silicone have become industry standards along with products that are now dishwasher safe.

And it seems that in the world of adult toys, there really is no prejudice to sexual preference or gender really; everybody is included with what it offered these days, right ?

Yes, adult product manufactures have taken more thought and consideration into their product’s features with every community in mind; gay, straight, LGBT. A company like Rocks-Off is the number one European supplier for own brand and branded products with the worldwide number one best seller being the RO-80mm bullet — with over 5 million sold to date.Williams Trading Co. has its finger on the pulse of the adult novelty market and is constantly communicating with new and up and coming designers and inventors here and across the globe.

Did 50 Shades of Grey have as much as an impact from a retail toy selling perspective as the layman is led to believe ?

Yes The adult toy industry experienced an unusual spike in sales after the release of the 50 Shades novels which eventually returned to a more normal percentage of industry growth, particularly bondage and fetish products. We are anticipating another spike in sales upon the release of the movie.

Is adult toy popularity split pretty much down gender lines, or is does the ever increasing healthier sale of couples toys blurred those lines ?

That’s hard to say. Sex and sexual play is personal. Just because a product is “designed” for a particular market doesn’t mean it doesn’t cross over into other groups or experimented by the curious. For example, adult toys designed for anal play were once considered exclusively for homosexual males. In fact, Rocks-Off has a great selection of anal toys, with or without vibration. Nowadays, anal play is trendy and both genders, single and coupled, are talking about anal play’s orgasmic benefits for women and the prostate health benefits for men.

You have lots of cool stuff coming down the pike, can you tell us a little something about the Pocket Dungeon you have coming out soon ?

Pocket Dungeon is a great example of mainstream meets innovation. I had the unique pleasure of meeting Ming, the inventor of the Pocket Dungeon. Already a renowned jewelry designer in Hawaii, she combined her creativity and artistic attention to detail with her advocacy for the S&M community to fashion the first travel-sized dungeon with 12 specific toys for unlimited play. Williams Trading Co. is the exclusive distributor of the Pocket Dungeon and we’re officially launching it at the 2014 International Lingerie Show in Las Vegas this spring.

What’s your personal ethic when it comes to selling adult products? Is it about having fun, turning couples on to enjoy better sex or is it just like selling any other product for you ?

Williams Trading Co. has been going to the extreme for our customers for 40 years. We are proud of our industry partners who, as members of a sex-positive community, are diligent in providing safe and innovative toys for all adults. We believe taking care of your sexual health means taking responsibility for your body, your health, your partner’s health and your decisions about sex. Talking about issues related to sex is also important for your mental health and wellbeing. Good mental health helps you to enjoy life, enjoy your relationships and enjoy sex.